9 Things to do on the Island of Vis

In a previous post I introduced you to Vis: The Best island in Croatia. Vis may be the most distant of the Croatian Islands but it is definitely worth the two hour travelling time to get there. It’s a perfect island escape for lazy days on the beach but if you’re looking for things to do, here are our suggestions for nine things to do on Vis.

What to do on Vis

Visit a new beach each day

Vis is the island of beautiful beaches. There are more than enough beaches to keep you busy every day of your stay and even if you’re lucky enough to stay a month, you won’t tire of going back for another visit.

The best way to see many of these beaches is to hire a car, a scooter or a boat for a day or two.

Hire a car or scooter and explore the island

Whether you’re staying in Vis or Komiza there’s a lot more of the island to see than these two towns. As well as exploring the beaches, the centre of the island is a patchwork of vineyards and olive groves. Combine both as you wind your way between the small inland villages, detour to a beach and then continue on exploring…

Hire a boat

With its many coves and secluded bays, Vis is the perfect place to hire a boat and explore all its nooks and crannies. Explore the beaches along the southern side of the island or head to Komiza and the Blue Cave at Bisevo Island. Circumvent the island by heading home along the northern coast!

Don’t forget to take your skippers ticket with you. You will not be able to hire a boat without your licence to drive a boat. If you don’t have one, hire a boat with a skipper. They’ll take you to as many beaches as you want to see also stopping at the Green Cave just off Rukovac. Lunch is an optional extra that you can include in your itinerary which they’ll book for you.

Diving is another option. With beautiful clear waters, secluded coves and the odd wreck or two, Vis is a great place to go diving. There are a companies in both Komiza and Vis who will arrange tours and Padi courses.

Take a day trip to Komiza

If you staying in Vis, take a day trip to Komiza! Buses travel between the two towns at regular intervals but check when the final bus leaves. When you arrive in Komiza, take the time to wander around this beautiful old stone fishing village. Disappear down the small pathways that take you to the waters edge and enjoy the views from here.

There are small pebble beaches at either end of the town..

As the sun sets, the bars get busy so take a seat…..it’s a great time for people watching. A bit later head to one of the local restaurants and enjoy some of the fresh seafood that the fisherman have caught that morning….lobster are their speciality!

Visit the Blue Cave on Bisevo Island

Tours to the Blue Cave on Bisevo Island are best taken from Komiza. As you walk along the promenade you will find many boat companies offering tours to the cave or if you have your own boat you can visit there and transfer to a small tour boat to see the cave.

The light is best between 11am and 12 noon, so try to be there around this time to see the reflection of the sun on the blue water light up the caves walls.

Photo taken by Jan Robinson @ Budget Travel Talk

Thanks to Jan from Budget Travel Talk for the photo of the Blue Cave. Information on Jan’s visit to the Blue Cave can be found here.

Climb Mt Hum

Hum, the highest point on the island at 587metres above sea level offers glorious views of Komiza and Bisevo Island. The walk takes about two hours from Komiza but we preferred the drive!

See the underground caves and tunnels used by Josip Tito’s partisan fighters.

When Tito’s fighters left the island in 1989, they left behind many tunnels and caves that were used by them during these times. As you drive around the island you will see these caves dotted through the hills. Many of them have a maze of underground tunnels running from them that were used for hiding stores, arms and men.

Tito actually lived and had his headquarters in a cave on the southern side of Mt Hum. You can visit this cave either with a tour or by yourself. As you leave the town of Podspilje and head to Mt Hum, you will pass an unmarked set of stairs which you should follow to the cave.

Another path from the summit of Mt Hum leads you to Stupišć, the former rocket base.

One more site to see is the underground submarine tunnel on the northern side of the island as you head to Fort George.

Many of the tourist agencies in Vis and Komiza offer military tours.

Try the local Croatian cuisine.

From freshly caught seafood cooked on the grill to slowly cooked dishes under the peka and local dishes such as paštićada, Vis has a reputation as a gastronomic island. This has a lot to do with the high quality of the local produce but the chefs know how to treat this fresh produce and are creating tasty local dishes for visitors to try.

Don’t forget to try the local hib cake as well…definitely A Taste of Vis

Taste the local wine

The inland areas of the island are covered with vines…..The red and the white plava are well known in wine circles.

The best places to try these wines are in the wine bars. In the centre of the island, next to Rokis and in front of the old WW2 airfield, you’ll find the aptly named Aerodrom.

On your way back to Vis, stop at the island’s well known winery….Antonio Lipanović where barrels are kept in the WW11 caves that were once used by Tito’s army.

In Vis, there are many small wine bars, some with their fermentation tanks on show.

A few more..

This list is by no means complete……During summer catch up on old movies in the open air cinema, explore the Greek and Roman history of the island at the Archaeological Museum. Head around the bay to the Franciscan Church and Monastery which was built on the site of a Roman ampitheatre and then continue up the hill to take in the view from Fort George.

Hi Jenny, This is a great round up. We didn’t get to some of these places like the World War II airstrip or Mount Hum. Today is our last day in Dubrovnik and tomorrow we fly back to Rome. Maybe we could squeeze in a quick return to Viz! My blue cave post is up 🙂

What we love to do on Vis?…kayak to secluded bays and into hidden caves. We also like biking through the vineyards and morning yoga by the sea. We love visiting friends on the island and sharing a class or two of local wine. The list is endless!

Jenny, what a find! I’m not familiar with Croatia, beyond a quick trip to Dubrovnik for work and a visit back in the 80s… you know, Yugoslavia. Clearly I’m lagging behind, especially if they have fresh seafood, which is my favorite food on the planet. So now that I plan to increase my European travels I will definitely have to explore Croatia in depth…

Croatia is definitely a country where you can spend a lot of time. We spent 7 weeks there on our first trip, 2 years ago and then another 3 weeks there last year exploring places we hadn’t been and going back to Vis! The seafood is wonderful so you should be very happy!

Viz looks amazing, Jenny! Croatia is one of those countries I MUST visit soon and it looks like Viz will be part of my itinerary now. Would you say it is less ‘touristy’ than Korcula and Hvar as it takes a bit longer to reach from the mainland?

I am planning on going to Croatia around November end but i have heard majority of the places specially the Island’s are closed during that time. Is that true?
Considering it would be a lot cooler, i am guessing going into the water would be out of question. Would you recommend visiting Croatia around that time?

Hi. There are parts of Croatia that will be fine to visit in November but the islands really are best when it’s a bit warmer. It really depends what you want to see in Croatia or if you can visit at another time. It will be cold but you will have the advantage of not many tourists! You can still visit the towns along the coast…Dubrovnik, Split, Trogir, Zadar etc and go inland a bit to see Krka National Park and the Plitvice Lakes. It would also be a good time to visit Istria. So long as you take warm clothes and are prepared for a little rain, I can’t see why you wouldn’t have fun….you’ll just have to come back again to see the islands! Hope this helps!

Hi Steve. No, no no! It’s not long enough!! Three days will be fine especially after you have only had two day stops at the other places. There’s plenty to do and spending time having a long lunch or on the beach will be fabulous. You can combine both at Stoncica Beach. We love going to Veliki Budokovac for lunch too. If you hire a boat, either taking yourself or with a driver, you can visit the other bays on the way. You should see Stiniva Beach also. Have a fabulous trip Steve.

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